Guidelines
by Sailor Heva
Summary: What events lead to Barbossa seizing control of The Black Pearl & Jack being marooned on the island? Chpt 6: Barbossa must deal with his strange new captain & a lovely lady while avoiding the authorities in Vera Cruz & looking for the key to the treasure.
1. The Castillo

Sing along everyone! You know the words… I do not own PotC or any of its characters. I am just playing with them and will put them back, relatively unscathed, when I am through with them.

Comments, questions, and criticisms are always welcomed!

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Chapter 1 – The Castillo

In the bowels of an ancient stone fortress, a prisoner sat in the shadows of a small, cold cell. His large hat was pulled down over his eyes and his tattered clothes had seen better days. There was a palpable air of authority, even intimidation, about the man. This sense had kept the other prisoners in the pens to either side of his from asking who he was or why he had been imprisoned. The questions, however, were almost unnecessary for his whole demeanor declared his occupation: _pirate_.

The Castillo de San Juan de Ulúa was an impressive display of Spain's authority in Vera Cruz. It had been built by Cortés himself to guard against pirates and now served as the last dwelling place for those buccaneers unlucky enough to be captured by the Spanish Royal Navy before their long walk to the execution dock. The pale light of a crescent moon spilled into the dungeons providing some light for the prisoners. The uneasy silence of the condemned only served to heighten the maddening close sound of the ocean, so often their salvation, as it broke against the small island upon which the fort had been built.

Most of the woebegone prisoners looked up with a mixture of hope and dread when the quiet was broken by the heavy groan of the prison's main door as it yawned open allowing two men to enter the close confines of the cell block. In the lead was a portly Spanish officer with a snooty yet dim arrogance that implied that he had risen farther than his intelligence would have allowed had he not been assisted by familial connections. His superiors had evidently realized his limitations and had given him the rank of captain and assigned him the menial task of supervising those who guarded the doomed criminals.

Following in his substantial shadow was a skinny, pallid fellow whose overlarge eyes took in every corner of the prison in a moment. His profession was evident for his hands were stained with ink, his back stooped, and he clutched a large bag filled with an assortment of papers and other writing implements. The scribe stood nervously to one side of the officer who peered in distastefully at the pirate with the large hat. He jumped slightly when the captain barked, "Di le a la pirata que haga su declaración (1)."

The scribe gathered his courage and stepped closer to the cell. "By the decree of his most Catholic Majesty, King Felipe V of Spain, those condemned to be executed for crimes against the crown are given the privilege of making a last confession before the sentence is carried out." Silence greeted him in reply and the scribe looked nervously from the prisoner to the captain. He stepped a bit closer to the cell and said, "Don't you wish to make a statement, señor?"

He jumped back again when at the sound of a harsh laugh came from the cell. "Aye, why not. Swing one, swing all I say. Sparrow left me here to die so he can be damned as well."

With these words he finally looked up at his two visitors and both flinched under the weight of the gaze. The man's eyes were clear blue, but dangerous and filled with steely determination. His face had been weathered like old leather and lined by wind, water, and sun. Dried blood from a fresh gash that had just missed his right eye had stained his once white shirt and blue coat. If the wound had been allowed time to heal, the result would have been a terrible scar but, as it was, it was rather surprising that the soldiers had allowed the man to clean his face. It seemed a pointless nicety given that he would be executed at dawn.

"Well are yeh going to take down me tale, boy, or are yeh planning to stare at my good looks all night?"

The scribe was startled out of his reverie and hurriedly began to set up his paper and quills on one of the guard's table. His hands were shaking and he barely managed to catch his inkbottle before it rolled off the stand. The pirate seemed rather amused with his unease.

"What's yer name, boy?" he asked.

"Malaquías Indalecio de García y Quentín."

"It seems that this is not yer usual occupation, Mister García," the pirate said with wry interest.

"N-no. I usually work in the courts dealing with lawsuits and estate settlements."

"I suppose this be not so different after all," the man laughed again. "Thievery and death are also part of a pirate's life, although we tend to be more forthcoming with the details than most respectable folk care to admit to."

García couldn't decide whether he should be scandalized or amused. He sat down hurriedly and picked up one of his quills trying to appear calm and professional. The Captain looked thoroughly bored by the whole procedure and as García dipped his quill into the inkwell, the officer said, "Estaré en mi oficina. Tráime el documento cuando esté completo(2)."

"¡¿Ya se va, Señor!" García exclaimed. "¡No puedo permanecer aquí solo con ellos!(3)" He looked back at the man in the cell and a cold weight settled in his stomach as he gazed at the pirate, who seemed to be enjoying his near panic.

Before the Captain could reply, the prisoner spoke again. "Don't be worrying, Mister García," he declared in all seriousness. "I'll not be killing yeh tonight although I make no promises about the future."

The notary turned back to the prisoner reluctantly and the pirate smiled wickedly as the door creaked close behind the retreating officer. "So where am I to begin?" he asked politely.

García swallowed hard and replied in a cracking voice, "Please state your name for the record."

"My name is Hector Barbossa and I am first mate aboard the pirate ship _The Black Pearl_."

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Author's Notes

Forgive me if I have made any mistakes in my translations.

1) Tell the pirate to make his declaration.

2) I will be in my office. Bring me the document when it is complete.

3) You are leaving, Sir? I cannot stay here alone with them!


	2. Fortunes and Fate

Many, many thanks to those who have reviewed my story! My thanks to Anonymous, Indigent Tenshi, Rusalka, anya509 for their kind words and encouragement. I also would like to thank Softbrush and say that my reaction was much the same as yours when I found out that Barbossa's first name was Hector. It seemed rather lame to me at the time, but it begins to grow on you after a while.

I wish I could say that I owned a piece of Pirates of the Caribbean or the 300 million that it has pulled in, yet I am still a poor college girl up to her eyeballs in debt. Now, onto the story!

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Chapter 2 - Fortunes and Fate

Hector Barbossa sat alone in _The Faithful Bride_ of Tortuga, waiting for a change in his fortunes. His mood matched the dark and dangerous ambiance of the tavern. Nothing had been going right of late and a large drink seemed to be the only way to assuage the situation. He, however, unlike his many fellow buccaneers throughout the _Bride_ preferred wine to grog as it was more refined and didn't completely rob him of his faculties. The table on which his cup set was a bit wobbly, as if it had been pieced back together several times after the melees that occurred nightly in the volatile town. The wood was mottled with marks from bullets and daggers, and it had been stained with rum, blood, and other substances that were better left unthought of.

As usual _The Bride, _one of the many taverns that lined the streets of Tortuga, was full of drunken brawlers and painted harlots. The atmosphere was thick with the smoke from innumerable candles that cast a dim light, although shadows pervaded the maze of tables and nooks of the tavern. The fumes from the quantity of booze, which seemed to permeate everything and everyone in the establishment, alone were enough to make one a bit light-headed. Those with more furtive business occupied the tables farthest from the bar, and thus were more removed from prying eyes and snooping ears. It was apparent that Barbossa was ranked as perilous even among the class of patrons that frequented the tavern and his table was given considerable latitude. Most of the _Bride's_ customers had enough sense to find other partners for their respective activities. Most, but not all.

"Barbossa!" a voice slurred drunkenly. "Tis a shame 'bout the _Sovereign_, matey." The pirate looked up to see a tall, gangly man with little hair, and apparently less intelligence, settle into the seat across from him. "Tain't e'ery day ya loose an 'ole ship," he commented with a moronic grin on his face.

Barbossa gave the man an indulgent, yet cold smile before replying, "That be unusually dense, Mister Bishop, even for a lubber like yerself."

"Way I 'eard it, ya got into a tangle with two man 'o wars off Jamaicar and 'ad ta turn tail ta get 'way." Bishop blundered on, seeming to take unusual satisfaction with the story and completely oblivious to his impending doom. "Cap'n dead, ship bad damaged. Look like the great Barbossa tain't so great after all. Face it, ol' man, yer time is ov...ahhh!"

The fool didn't even have time to catch himself when Barbossa hooked his chair with the toe of his boot, sending his uninvited guest sprawling backward onto the fifthly floor. Bishop blinked up stupidly at the dull gleam of a cutlass blade that cut dangerously into his neck. Several punches were halted in midair as all movement in the tavern stopped in an instant. All eyes were fixed on Barbossa and the pirate who had been reckless enough to incur his anger.

"Unless yeh wish this to be yer last night on earth, Mister Bishop, I suggest yeh keep a civil tongue in yer head," Barbossa said smoothly, though there was an edge to his tone that made the hair on one's head stand on end. Bishop swallowed hard and turned several interesting shades of green before beginning to apologize so rapidly that he was practically unintelligible. His eyes darted about wildly, desperately seeking some way to escape. The older pirate shot him a look of disgust before giving the oaf a kick that sent him sprawling again. "Get out of here and don't let me catch yeh in the _Bride_ again. Next time I won't be so gentle when I teach yeh manners."

Bishop fell over his own limbs several times before he managed to pick himself up and stumble to the door, but found himself on the floor once more when he ran into a very large black man with a strange pattern of marks on his skin and a fierce expression on his face. The unlucky fellow emitted a strangled cry as he was tossed unceremoniously out into the street. The tavern goers quickly went back to their business as the black pirate sent a menacing glance around the interior.

Seeing Barbossa, he quickly went to his table and righted the fallen chair before sitting in it himself. He looked at the old pirate unflinchingly and asked, "So what is de word, Sir?"

Barbossa smiled grimly as he said, "The ship's a loss, Bo'sun. The seams be cracked and the damage to the keel unrepairable."

"Dammit!" Barbossa was about the only person in the tavern that didn't flinch as his companion slammed his first down on the table, causing it to wobble precariously. "Dat fool Hume has stranded us witout a ship!"

The older pirate shook his head and said, "I should have taken command of the _Sovereign_ 'fore Captain Hume could lead us into that trap. At least he won't be makin' that mistake again." He sat back and let out a sigh of frustration. "We'll be needin' a new ship. How many of the crew be left?"

Bo'sun looked grim. "Twenty-two and several are bad hurt. Quartermaster Marn be dead and Ragetti will lose his eye."

Barbossa nodded and took a long pull of his wine before he instructed, "Make inquiries about what ships are here in Tortuga and who be needin' hands."

"Aye sir," Bo'sun replied and he quickly left the table, leaving Barbossa alone to brood again. At least for a moment.

"So ya lost your ship, mate?" a voice said from behind him. "That's an unfortunate turn of events indeed."

Barbossa stifled a groan at the words and could not help but wonder why he was being plagued by every fool in Tortuga this night. He turned slightly in his chair to see whomever it was who was speaking. To his surprise, it was a young dark eyed fellow with a wench on one arm and a tankard in his free hand. He seemed hardly more than a boy, yet he had an easy sort of confidence that caught Barbossa's interest.

"I thank 'e for yer sympathy, lad," he said with wary vigilance, "but I'm not of a mind to commiserate."

"Good, neither am I," the young pirate replied, sitting down opposite him and settling the giggling girl onto his lap, her arms wrapping around him. "I've heard that you sailed with Morgan (1) in your younger days and that you're a master when it comes to taking ships."

"Takin' ships is just like any other trade, lad," Barbossa acknowledged with some pride, "and I be no amateur."

The dark eyed man nodded and continued, "Then I have a proposition that may be of interest to ya. An opportunity, as it were, for both of us to get something we need. You have a crew that needs a ship and I have a ship that is only lacking a crew."

"Yeh have a ship?" Barbossa asked incredulously.

"I do indeed, mate." The young pirate answered, looking very pleased with himself. "And it won't be long before her name, and that of her captain, will be legend throughout the Caribbean."

Barbossa, though not one to be impressed by idle boasting, gave the youth a searching look before saying, "Yeh seem to know a lot about me and my business, yet I don't recall setting eyes on yeh before."

His associate smiled broadly at the unstated, yet clear question, and replied, "I am Captain Jack Sparrow of the _Black Pearl_."

"Ne'er heard of yeh," Barbossa declared, thoroughly unimpressed.

"You will," Sparrow retorted, his smile never faltering. "Come aboard the _Pearl_ tomorrow and you'll see that there is not a ship on the ocean that can touch her." Although Barbossa gave him no reply, Sparrow seemed confident that the business was concluded and he drained his rum with a gulp.

Barbossa watched the young captain stumble away with his lady into the darker recesses of the tavern. In spite of his disdain for braggarts, he could not help but wonder if there really was something to the young pirate and his ship. After a few more moments, he too rose from the table to look after his own comfort for the night. "Tomorrow it is then, Sparrow," he said softly as he left _The Faithful Bride._

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Author's Notes

Just one note this time. If anything else in the chapter needs to be explained, just ask in a review.

1) In the script for the movie, Barbossa said that he had sailed with Morgan. Although I have some problems with this statement because of the time line of the movie and because many things were changed from the script, I decided to use it because it is very telling about Barbossa's character and his history.


	3. Signing the Articles

My sincere apologies for the long delay in writing. I have a terrible time getting things done during school and my muse abandoned me for quite a while on this story. She just laughed at me any time I attempted to continue, but enough excuses. It is time to get back to it.

The only piece of PotC I own is a coin from the set and I definitely don't make any money off of these stories.

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Chapter 3 - Signing the Articles

The sun rose slowly, casting light across the aqua waters of the Caribbean and revealing the chaos left by yet another night of carousing in Tortuga. The streets might have been the scene of some bizarre massacre were it not for the occasional groans of a person waking from their drunken sleep. Many of the town's inhabitants had slept where they had fallen and as they woke, they cast wrathful looks at the sun as if the pain the light brought was somehow the fault of the brilliant globe rather than the drink they had imbibed.

As dawn brightened into morning, Barbossa stood on the dock watching the denizens of Tortuga rising slowly from their makeshift beds like grotesque imitations of Lazarus rising from the grave. Sleep had not come easily the night before and he had been there since before first light. The more he had thought about the offer made by the young Jack Sparrow, the more he began to believe that it had been some kind of a ruse.

"Mista Barbossa, sir!" a familiar voice called from the head of the dock. The pirate looked up to see a Bo'sun walking toward him along with a round, dirty man who was bald except for a fringe of long stringing hair. It was this man, Pintel, the former master gunner of the Sovereign, who had called out in greeting.

"What is da business, sir?" Bo'sun asked.

"We're here about a ship, gents."

Pintel looked up at Bo'sun in surprise, but the gaze was not returned. Bo'sun stared thoughtfully at the ships at port in Tortuga. "None of da crews I spoke wit needed any hands."

"A fellow came to me last night saying he was needin' a crew," Barbossa said, though his gaze continued to be on the dock. "Either of yeh e'er heard of a Captain Jack Sparrow?" Pintel looked blank and Bo'sun shook his head. "Neither have I," he admitted, "but I promise you he won't be forgetting us if this is his idea of a joke."

A moment latter, a peal of laughter sounded from behind the group. Barbossa turned to look across the water to a boat that was drawing close to the pier. Two sailors were at the oars of the longboat and Jack Sparrow sat behind them with a very thin yet very pretty woman who, Barbossa noted bemused, was not the one Sparrow had been with last night. As the boat pulled up to the dock, he motioned for Bo'sun and Pintel to follow him and lead them toward where Sparrow seemed to be bidding farewell to his lady companion.

"...know I want you with me, but I could never put ya in danger, my darlin'," Jack was saying as they came with in earshot. "You understand, don't ya, love?" The woman nodded sadly, her eyes were filled with tears, seemingly grieved beyond words. She suddenly grabbed the young Captain, kissing him passionately before dashing away toward the town.

Jack Sparrow sighed deeply as he watched her go, but soon turned with a more cheery expression to Barbossa and his crewmen. "All set, mates?" he asked and gestured for them to take the stern seats in the longboat. "Time waits for no man," he said brightly as he took his place at the front of the boat.

"Though it will occasionally lag a bit for a fair wench," Barbossa noted dryly.

Jack positively beamed, quipping in reply, "As do we all, mate." He laughed then seemed to settle into a more business like frame of mind. As they pulled away from the dock, Sparrow introduced the two oarsmen as Twigg and Koehler.

"This is Bo'sun and that's Pintel," Barbossa offered in response.

They cut quickly through the water with the strong pull of Jack's crewmen. There was an uneasy silence in the boat and it seemed that Bo'sun and Pintel didn't know what to make of the ostentatious young Captain. Barbossa, on the other hand, watched Sparrow expectantly, waiting for him to make good on the boasts of the previous night.

Jack seemed completely unconcerned and was humming what sounded like a hymn. He would occasionally cast an appraising gaze at the various ships they were passing, as if noting possible rivals in the future. With a heave and a spray of water, they came around another ship and saw a final vessel in port. "There she is, mates. _The Black Pearl_," Jack Sparrow said with the fondness of a lover.

Barbossa's breath caught in his throat as he looked at the sleek lines and billowing sails of the ship. The _Pearl_ was heavier than most of the other vessels in port and very large for a pirate ship. But she looked fast despite her size. The masts carried more sail than was normal for her class and Barbossa could not help but wonder in amazement where Sparrow had procured such a craft.

"Beautiful, isn't she," a voice said softly.

Barbossa was startled out of his musings to find Jack watching his face intently. "Aye," Barbossa nodded. "She has fair lines and would seem to be one to skim across the water."

The longboat passed under the figurehead carved in the shape of a beautiful maid releasing a dove. They pulled along side the ship and Jack scrambled up the side of the vessel, jumping agilely on deck. Barbossa followed him with Pintel and Bo'sun close behind.

They stepped on the main deck and were greeted by a sailor whose face was handsome and darkly tanned, and whose eyes were honest. "Welcome aboard the _Pearl_, gentlemen," he said with a nod to each of the company.

Barbossa was more than a bit taken aback with Sparrow introduced the man as "My first mate, Bill Turner." This man was older than Jack, and he had a more forthright demeanor than was not common among buccaneers.

Sparrow looked to Barbossa and said, "You have free reign of the ship and my crew. I'll be in the cabin when ya want to discuss terms." He sauntered off toward the doors by the stairs at the aft of the ship while Turner returned to supervising the rest of the crew.

"Split up, gents," Barbossa ordered. "I want a report on the state of this barge." He glanced around the deck at Sparrow's other crewmen who were busy loading the ship's hold with supplies from Tortuga. As they turned away, Barbossa added, "Bo'sun, pay attention to the crew. I want to know what a ship like this be doin' here and where she came from." Bo'sun nodded and walked away.

Barbossa, himself, stayed on the main deck and continued to examine the men working on the deck of the vessel. They were as motley an assortment as any crew he had encountered. _My men will fit right in then_, the old pirate thought with amusement. He also watched the mate, Turner, giving orders to the other men, and Barbossa had to admit that he seemed capable in spite of his friendly deportment.

"Yeh seem to know the business of runnin' a ship, Mister Turner," Barbossa said joining him on the main deck.

"Thank you, Mister Barbossa," Turner said with a smile, "but call me Bill or Bootstrap. Everyone does."

Barbossa was interested by this informality in a first mate and also by his polite manner. He shifted his gaze to the crew and their work, saying in a detached, barely curious tone, "You don't seem to be from the Caribbean, Bill."

"I am from Glasgow, Scotland," Turner answered, "but I have been in the Caribbean for most of my time as a sailor. My wife and child live in England still. "

The old pirate looked back to the younger man and let sympathy steal into his voice. "Must be hard being away from them."

Turner nodded slightly, looking away from the older man. "It is," he said shortly. He looked like he was on the verge of saying something more when Jack's voice rang from the stern of the ship.

"Bootstrap! Come here for a bit."

Bill Turner answered with an "Aye, Jack" then, with another nod to Barbossa, walked to the Captain's cabin.

Barbossa watched him go. _These two be a curious pair_, he concluded. _Sparrow seems eccentric with a girl on every corner let alone in every port while Turner is steady and looks to be dedicated to his family though they be in England. They should prove most interesting to deal with._ With this final thought, he turned and continued on to examine the forward deck of the _Pearl_. There would be time to solve the mystery of the young captain and his first mate later.

-----

An hour later, Barbossa stood at the helm of _The Black Pearl_, imagining the possibilities of the vessel. His own inspection of the craft had done much to confirm his first impressions of her. The _Pearl_ may have been large for a pirate ship, but it was evident that she was fast as well. She would be a wolf among sheep on the Spanish Main.

He smiled voraciously thinking on this, although his attention was soon drawn away as Bo'sun emerged from a hatch midship and scanned the deck. Catching sight of Barbossa, he quickly made his way up the stairs to the command deck. The old pirate moved to where they would not be overheard by the crew who were still working to shift the stores below deck.

"Da ship is sound, sir," Bo'sun reported. "Almost too clean. Makes me wonder how such a young cap'n came by dis ship."

"It does indeed." Barbossa mused. "And what did Master Pintel think of the ship's armaments?"

"Da cannon are top of da line, but dere could be more of dem."

"That be no problem. The _Sovereign's_ guns could settle any score," Barbossa said drolly. He seemed to have come to a decision. "Go ashore and muster the crew. And be quick about it." He glanced around at the flurry of activity going on around them. "These gents seem to be anxious to be quit of Tortuga."

Bo'sun gave a hearty "aye" before walking down the stairs to gather a crew for the longboat.

Barbossa strode down the steps from the helm to the main deck and knocked on the elaborate double doors of the Captain's cabin. When he heard a call from inside, the pirate pulled them open and stepped inside.

The interior of the cabin was brightly lit by the light of the morning sun. The spacious inside was filled with a multitude of furnishings. A bed was set to one side under the windowpanes. The sides of the room had cabinets and shelves built into them as well as several sideboards. Captain Sparrow had many volumes, sheets, sketches, maps, diagrams and various marine instruments semi-organized in and on these niches. The center of the room was dominated by a large, round table on which was strewn a multitude of nautical charts.

Sparrow and Turner had been poring over these papers when Barbossa had entered. Bill worked quickly to clear the surface as Jack motioned for him to sit down. Barbossa glanced at the maps calmly when he took the proffered chair.

"So what do ya think of my ship?" Sparrow asked as he sat down himself, propping his boots on the table.

"She be a fine vessel to be sure, but the _Pearl_ seems to be lacking some important items."

"Such as?" Turner asked cautiously as he also took a seat.

Barbossa smiled indulgently as he regarded them. "Well, first and foremost is a crew obviously as we wouldn't be makin' this arrangement if it were not so. The ship also be short a few cannon. The current armaments wouldn't cause a crew of lubbers to quake." Neither Sparrow nor Turner said anything at this and so he continued, "Lastly, and most importantly, yeh lack experience."

Sparrow's smile didn't falter, but Turner looked a bit perturbed and seemed about to try and refute this statement when Jack asked congenially, "And what would give ya that impression, Mister Barbossa?"

"Everything." The older pirate sat back in his chair and with a wave of his hand indicated the whole ship. "A ship like the _Pearl_ would have a reputation if she had been in the trade for long." He paused a moment to fix his gaze on the pair before him and then continued, "And there be yer age, Captain. I believe it would be safe to say that I was sailing the Caribbean afore you were weaned...sir."

If Sparrow was angered by this observation, he managed to keep his face perfectly impassive. Turner, on the other hand, covered his mouth with his hand, and it was impossible to tell what he thought of the situation. "I believe that the question I should pose to you at this point, Barbossa," Jack said, "is can ya sail under my command or can ya not?"

Barbossa leaned forward intently and replied, "I have sailed under the command of many men as a gentleman of fortune and held true to the code. But learning from my recent misfortunes I will be damned before I sail again under the command of a fool."

The air was charged with tension as Barbossa ceased speaking, his gaze still locked with Sparrow's. Not hesitating for a moment, the young captain remarked, "Then it is a good thing that I am not a fool."

Barbossa held the gaze a moment longer as if to add a silent "We will see" to Jack's assertion. Turner broke the strained silence with a blunt, "Do you plan on joining us or not?"

Barbossa glanced at him haughtily before answering, "Aye, we be joinin' yeh. I can also provide the cannon and goods from the _Sovereign_," he added, settling into a more businesslike manner. "If ye're plan on takin' a ship in the Windward Passage you either need a brilliant plan of a lot of guns."

"I intend to have both," Sparrow replied keenly. He looked at Barbossa with some interest. "Ya seem to have guessed part of our business. The ship we will be hunting is the _Almiranta_."

Barbossa frowned in thought. "Be she a Spanish treasure galleon?"

Jack waved his hand airily. "In a manner of speaking," he answered. "She is a merchant vessel, but among her cargo is an item that can help us find a extraordinary treasure." The old pirate regarded the captain skeptically as Sparrow continued, "I assume you have heard of the conquistador Cortés." Barbossa nodded guardedly. "Then you know of the vast treasure he looted from the Aztec empire and sent back to Spain. Or kept for himself," he added with dry amusement.

Sparrow stood abruptly and began to walk animatedly about the cabin. "But years later when the gold of Mexico City had been plundered and Cortés was anxious for new conquests, he undertook an expedition into the heart of the jungle south of New Spain." Jack paused a moment, his voice turning almost introspective as he continued, "As always destruction, chaos, and death followed in his wake. The hapless peoples he encountered were all but powerless to stop him." Barbossa watched the young captain intently, very interested in spite of his wary expression.

"The people only had one thing to offer to try to stop the advancing army. In a great stone chest they gathered a horde of golden medallions, each exactly alike in weight and appearance. This they offered to Cortés if he would but leave them in peace." Again Sparrow halted his narrative, but this time he looked intently at Barbossa. "But Cortés could not be dissuaded from his endeavor even by a treasure such as this. He took the gold and continued his relentless devastation."

"Yet after this encounter, he never prospered again. He came to believe that the gold had been cursed by the heathen gods of his enemies. He secreted the treasure away in the hope that he could escape the enchantment, yet his efforts were in vain," Jack finished in a dramatic hush. A chill seemed to have invaded the cabin, the light from outside dimmed by some shade.

Barbossa, however, looked steadily at the young captain and stated, "That be a fine tale for children in the dark of night, but I don't believe in such fancies."

Sparrow smiled again and the darkness of a moment before vanished. "Nor I, but whether we believe in the curse is unimportant. The gold is out there somewhere and we will need what is aboard the _Almiranta_ to get it."

Turner now leaned forward and said emphatically, "But we must be underway by no later than tomorrow if we are to intercept our quarry."

Barbossa coolly considered the two young pirates before speaking again. "Mister Turner, would you mind allowin' me a moment to speak to the captain in private." Turner glanced at Jack who gave a slight nod. He stood and walked to the door, looking back briefly as he opened it.

Neither Jack nor Barbossa looked up as he departed, but when the doors had closed the old pirate asked, "If my men join the crew, what will be yer terms?"

Sparrow shrugged. "Everything is equal shares for loyal hands who follow the code."

"And what position will I hold?"

"I had thought quartermaster..."

"No," Barbossa cut in smoothly. Sparrow frowned slightly. "My crew must have an equal standing to yer men."

"I can't demote Bill Turner," the captain stated coolly. "He is dedicated and capable."

Barbossa contemplated Sparrow carefully. "And he is yer friend, eh captain?" Jack cast him a deliberate glance before turning away to gaze out of the windows. "Then follow the code," the old pirate declared firmly. "Let each man stand for their position and let the crew decide."

Sparrow did not answer right away. He seemed to be considering all that this would entail then he looked back at Barbossa, his face unreadable and said, "Agreed."

Barbossa stood up quickly. "Well then, Cap'n Sparrow, I had best be about the business of bringin' the _Sovereign_ around if we are to catch yer Spanish galleon."

Jack's grave countenance faded at the words. "One more thing, Barbossa," he interjected as the other man moved toward the door. An impish smile was tugging at the corner of the young captain's mouth as he asked, "Do ya believe the _Sovereign_ has one more voyage left to her?"

Barbossa looked at him curiously and sat back down to hear Sparrow's plan.

-----

The sun was setting after a long day of quick introductions and hard labor. The two crews had been gathered on the main deck of the _Pearl_ at whose side floated the _Sovereign_, listing a bit yet still afloat.

The sails were drawn up on both ships and the ropes that had been employed in transferring cannons between the two vessels had been left trailing among those assembled.

"Men," Captain Sparrow said in a loud, yet oddly solemn voice, "we are about to embark upon an adventure that will be fraught with danger, but also rich with rewards." He walked down the line of the men, scrutinizing each and seemingly taking their measure. "The time has come to sign the articles and swear that you will hold true to the code. We must also appoint officers." Reaching the end of the column where Turner and Barbossa were both standing, he turned smoothly on his heel and looked back at the pirate crews.

"I stand for Captain," Jack Sparrow declared. "The _Pearl_ belongs to me and only I can lead you to the treasure we seek. What say you, men?" he finished theatrically. Sparrow's crew cheered enthusiastically while Barbossa's comrades hesitated a moment until it was clear that their leader was also giving his approval.

Jack's face was impassive as he continued, "Who will be my first mate?"

Turner looked taken aback, but quickly came forward. "I will stand for it," he said, looking to his fellow crewmen. "I have served this crew faithfully and have adhered to the code. Will you have me as first mate of the _Pearl_?"

The cheers for Turner were not as loud as they had been for the Captain and intermingled throughout were calls of "No!" and "Barbossa!"

The old pirate smiled shrewdly and stepped up to stand before the assembled men. "I will also stand for mate though I be not as genial as Mister Turner." There was some laughter from the men and a muscle twitched in Turner's face. "Men, I was born on the streets like many of ya, but soon took to the sea. My education was on the high seas and my master was Henry Morgan. A hard cap'n, to be sure, but among the greats of our craft. With his instruction, I have taken more ships and looted more towns than most other gentlemen of fortune could dream of. I will lead you to the treasure we seek." Barbossa looked again over the assembled men, most of whom were listening avidly to the speech. He finished by crying, "What say you, gents?"

The shouts rolled across the waves yet it was impossible to say which of the two men had been chosen. Tensions were running high and threatened to turn to violence when Sparrow held up his hands, yelling for silence. The men shifted angrily, but were quiet enough for Jack to say, "Though it should be left to me to break this tie, I propose that we postpone this decision until each man can demonstrate his quality. Then you will choose, men."

Barbossa was pleased yet his face remained reserved. Turner, on the other hand, seemed to be stunned by this pronouncement. Sparrow, for his part, refused to look at his friend. "For now, I need your speed," the young captain insisted. "All hands prepare to make waves. We sail on the tide."

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Author's Notes

1) The Windward Passage is a strait that runs between the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola (now the Dominican Republic and Haiti).

2) As was shown in PotC, there was a code of honor that the pirates upheld. These codes actually varied a bit from ship to ship, but were fundamentally the same. When a crew set out on a voyage all the members signed documents and swore oaths to uphold these rules and support their fellow crewmen. Hence the name of this chapter as this practice was called 'signing the articles'. Something else of interest is that the crews often would often vote on issues with regard to the ship, which could include electing officers.


	4. On the Taking of Galleons

**Sailor Heva**: My muse has spoken at last! We've settled our differences and she has finally seen fit to get back to work inspiring me.

**Barbossa**: Way I heard it ya were ignoring her to do yer studies.

**Sailor Heva**: I would never ignore my muse! (looks a bit embarrassed) I just sometimes have to take a message and get back to her later. Especially when I have Latin participles preying on my mind. Anyway, I was really dreading writing this chapter, but she said she would help me out and get it over with quickly. (darkly) I think she might try to sabotage me later however.

Thanks to all my reviewers! I forgot to thank Softbrush, marajaykettch, and Indigent Tenshi last time, but I do so now. And a bonus thanks to Indigent Tenshi for being my Beta reader. You're right, the good Captain's accent was slipping a bit in the last chapter, but I have fixed it.

And mucho thanks to Alteng for the detailed and very observant reviews. You really pick up on a lot! Here to answer some of your comments is none other than Captain Barbossa himself. So Captain, would you have shot Mr. Bishop if left to your own devices?

**Barbossa**: Aye, I would gladly have put a bullet in the fool had not Miss Heva here said it would make a bad impression on Sparrow.

**Sailor Heva**: Well it would. Jack isn't stupid (derisive laughter from Barbossa which earns a glare from the author) nor is he crazy...yet. I doubt Captain Jack would have been anxious to make an accord with Barbossa if he had just blown away another pirate. Jack seems to hold life in higher regard than most buccaneers.

**Barbossa**: (under breath) Pansy.

**Sailor Heva**: (sigh) Oh and I made up Mr. Bishop though with as many men that sailed on the _Pearl_ there well could have been someone by that name. Okay, the next point concerns the crew's loyalty to you, Captain Barbossa. Are they really faithful or just hanging on to your coattails?

**Barbossa**: Those lubbers be loyal to anyone stronger 'n them.

**Sailor Heva**: Okay, so how many were with you from the beginning and how many joined later?

**Barbossa**: (shrugs looking bored) Each to their own, Missy. Some just drifted in and some others were with me from the start. I neither know nor care why ya saddled me with those two maggots Pintel and Ragetti.

**Sailor Heva**: I think it will be obvious by the end of this chapter, but just a hint: I was impressed with the way they brought down the mast of the _Interceptor_. I think I will also leave the character of Bootstrap Bill for later. Wouldn't want to give anything away. Well, I think that is enough for now. Would you care to do the honors, Captain Barbossa?

**Barbossa**: Miss Heva owns nothin' of Pirates of the Caribbean and (with conviction) she certainly doesn't own me.

**Sailor Heva**: Well, okay then. On to the story...

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Chapter Four - On the Taking of Galleons

The sun rose red amid a cloudy, threatening sky. The wind whipped across the surface of the sea, creating swells that battered the already broken _Sovereign_. Barbossa stood on the aft deck of the ship and scanned the waters of the Windward Passage with ever increasing trepidation.

The _Sovereign_ and the _Pearl_ had quit Tortuga a week before and although the two ships had made better time than would have been thought possible given the condition of Barbossa's old ship, there had yet to be a sign of their quarry.

Sparrow had somehow managed to procure the _Almiranta's_ route to the New World from the Casa de Contratación (1) in Seville. The young Captain planned to take the galleon in the Windward Passage, as it would be easier to locate the vessel between two landmasses than in the open sea. In spite of the Captain Sparrow's certainty that the _Almiranta_ would appear, the whole plan would be ruined unless the Spanish galleon came soon.

It had taken the larger part of Sparrow's new crew to man the _Sovereign_ in her enfeebled condition. Not only were there the rigging and the sails of the ship to man, but also the pumps, which were the only thing keeping the old barque (2) afloat. To Barbossa's displeasure, this crew shift had included Bill Turner. This situation had led to a confrontation on the first day of their voyage.

Bootstrap had been giving commands to the crew without consulting Barbossa and towards the late afternoon, he called Turner into the captain's cabin. Bill looked unconcernedly around at the room as he entered, which had been stripped of anything of value or use and sent to the _Pearl_, and waited patiently for Barbossa to say what was on his mind. He had not liked what he heard.

"In future, Mister Turner," Barbossa had said in an amiable tone that nevertheless had an edge to it, "I would be appreciative if yeh would not give orders on this ship."

Turner was not intimidated. "Captain Sparrow said that we are to share the duties of first mate until this venture is complete," he had replied coolly, looking Barbossa in the eye. "I was not aware that I needed your permission to give instructions to the men."

Barbossa voice was soft yet dangerous when he continued, "That be true enough, but this is not the _Pearl_ and yeh are not the one who will be in command when we sight that galleon. The _Sovereign_ is my ship and, until such time as she goes down into the sea, I am her captain. Cap'n Sparrow came to me because of my experience in takin' galleons and I will be the one to carry out our orders."

Turner's face was cut from stone at this, but he had kept the anger from his voice when he had answered, "Very well, I will follow your orders...sir." Turner had held to his word, although he and Barbossa could hardly be on the deck at the same time with out the air being thick with suppressed enmity.

Barbossa continued to scan the horizon with the spyglass, looking for the ship they sought. Off the starboard bow he could just see the white cliffs that marked the shore of Cuba while the coast of Hispaniola (3) was lost amid the crashing waves and the haze of distance. Somewhere in these same waters the _Pearl_ was stalking their prey, but Barbossa was determined to find her first.

"Sir." Barbossa lowered the glass and turned to Bo'sun. "We've heaved to and da signal is ready."

The old pirate didn't acknowledge these words at once, his gaze once again on the sea. As Bo'sun turned to walk away, he called after him, "Tell the men to raise the anchor and take us deeper into the passage."

This brought Bo'sun to a halt and also generated a concerned look from Turner, who was at the helm.

Turner spoke his thoughts first. "Mister Barbossa," he said carefully, "Captain Sparrow's information stated that the galleon would skirt the coast in order to pass under the guns of Santiago, Cuba."

Barbossa suppressed the flash of annoyance that this second-guessing brought. He needed to keep the crew from questioning his judgment. "Cap'n Sparrow," Barbossa answered coolly, "said the _Almiranta_ would be sighted at least two days ago, yet there has been no sign of her."

"She might have slipped past us in da night." It was Bo'sun who spoke this time.

"No," Barbossa replied with conviction. "The watch has been kept at night and through out the day. No..." his voice became softer, yet more sure, "She be takin' her time and avoidin' the sight of land. That galleon will be here, but we have to move if we are to greet her properly," he finished with a cold smirk.

"And what of the _Black Pearl_," Turner pressed on. "We might need her..."

"If yeh follow my orders we won't be needin' the _Pearl_." His eyes flashed to Bo'sun and now there was a threat in their depths. "Now set sail and bring us deeper into the Passage."

"Aye, sir." Bo'sun hastened to obey these orders and even Turner remained silent.

The _Sovereign_ came about slowly, her timbers creaking ominously. _Hold together_, Barbossa silently commanded the ship. _I need yeh still_.

-----

"Ship ahoy!" the call came just after four bells on the noon watch (4). The sea had calmed a bit in the afternoon sun, but the air still threatened to break into a squall towards evening.

Barbossa and Turner were at the stern of the ship in a moment, looking to where Koehler was pointing.

The old pirate looked through the glass and, after a moment, murmured, "A galleon." This statement brought a cheer from the men on deck that was quickly taken up by the crew below, who were working the pumps. "Gents, this may be our prey, but we must be on guard."

He passed the glass to Bill Turner, who looked through it for a long time before saying, "Aye, that is the _Almiranta_." A second louder cheer went up at this.

Barbossa allowed the crew to enjoy the moment, but soon called them to order. He looked around at those assembled on the deck before him. "Every man get their arms and conceal them properly. And tell the men at the pumps to ease up a point. We want the _Sovereign_ to look properly helpless and harmless."

The men laughed and set to work eagerly, their excitement growing at the thought of the coming battle. Barbossa smirked a bit as well, enjoying the thrill of the hunt. He turned slightly to look at Turner, who looked a bit apprehensive, yet eager. "Send up the signal," he ordered.

Bill nodded and quickly moved to the main deck. Barbossa didn't look back as a signal flare was fired into the sky. This rocket would not only tell the approaching ship that the _Sovereign_ was in distress, but would also give their location to the _Black Pearl_.

"Now," Barbossa said, watching the galleon hungrily, "come and try to take us."

Turner had to order the men on deck to get back to work several times as the galleon drew nearer, yet they still managed to look like a properly panicked crew of an English vessel in unfriendly waters. The Union Jack had been raised over the ship, though it pained Barbossa to do so, in order to give the ship the proper feel. The _Almiranta_ approached them cautiously off the starboard side of the _Sovereign_. The galleon looked very old yet still sound, almost a throwback to the days of the Armada. Her main deck, Barbossa saw, was shadowed by tall fore and aft castles, which would make boarding the ship difficult unless they had the element of surprise on their side.

"Quiet, gents," Barbossa commanded the crew, many of whom looked ready to fire on the galleon whether she came within range or not. "She'll be here soon enough. The opportunity to plunder a helpless English merchant will be too much for them to pass up." A moment later, the ship indeed turned to come along side the _Sovereign_, her crew taking in the sails in order to slow their vessel.

"Be sure that the men look properly afraid," Barbossa said to Bo'sun "We don't want to be givin' our guests the wrong impression." Bo'sun nodded eagerly then he made his way around the main deck of the ship before going below.

Barbossa watched with feigned concern as the _Almiranta_ drew closer and a voice called out, "Nave Inglesa, ¿necesitan ayuda ustedes?" The old pirate made a show of calling for someone who could understand Spanish. Adulio Ramírez, a skinny lad from Sparrow's crew with dark curly hair and deeply tanned skin, came up from below deck to act as translator. It was hard not to like young Ramírez, who looked on the older pirates with something akin to awe. He had even got up the courage to ask Barbossa about sailing with Henry Morgan their first day out. The boy now made a fine show of timidly translating the Spaniard's words.

"Tell them that we would be grateful for any assistance they can offer," Barbossa said with affected sincerity.

Ramírez spoke with the other crew again as the pirates looked on with apprehension. The Captain of the other vessel seemed to be examining the _Sovereign_ with keen interest. "He says that our ship is too damaged to sail to port and he suggests that we transfer our cargo to his vessel in order to sell it in Santiago de Cuba."

Barbossa gave an exaggerated frown and then motioned for Turner and Bo'sun to join him at the helm, as if to discuss these terms. "Make ready, gents," he ordered. "Let them secure to the Sovereign and send a party aboard. They will head below decks first and the boys down there will take care of them. When I give the signal, set on 'em."

Turner looked at both men and added, "But be gentle. We may need their command crew to find Captain Sparrow's treasure." Bo'sun looked a bit disappointed when Barbossa accepted this addition, though he had looked at the younger pirate with some disdain. Barbossa turned away and motioned for Ramírez to accept these terms.

The _Almiranta_ came along side the _Sovereign_, grapnels securing the two ships together. The first of the Spanish crew were indeed allowed to go below decks before Barbossa yelled, "At 'em men!"

In an instant the crew of the Sovereign had whipped pistols, muskets and cutlasses out of concealment. The sailors from the _Almiranta_ stumbled back in horror, fumbling for their sea knives and any other weapons they could lay hands on. They were cut down as the pirates swarmed across the plank that bridged the gap between the two decks or swung down from the rigging.

Barbossa had pulled a brace of pistols from where they had been hidden in his coat and took aim at the first Spaniard who had gathered his wits enough to turn the swivel cannon on the upper deck of the galleon on the boarding pirates. With a malevolent smile the old pirate pulled the trigger and the man fell to the deck surrounded for a moment by a small cloud of his own blood.

Turner had led the first charge across to the galleon and was easily parrying the lunges of the Spaniards he encountered. _The man does know how to handle a sword, but he would do better to finish those fools rather than merely wounding them_, Barbossa noted. Bo'sun, Koehler, and Twigg had also crossed to the other ship and were cutting down the Spanish sailors with brutal effectiveness. The deck of the other ship was slick with blood as Barbossa stepped onto it.

Ignoring the battle still going on around him, he set his sights on the Captain of the vessel who stood frozen with fear on the upper deck. After two brief skirmishes with sailors who thought to defend their leader, Barbossa reached his counterpart and held his bloody cutlass to his throat. "Order you men to stand down or you will die now," the pirate demanded, his voice as cold as the steel he carried.

His words needed no translation. The Captain of the Almiranta called in a horse, horrified voice, "¡Cedos! (6)" Those of his men who were left obeyed and the pirates gave a savage yell of victory.

"Bo'sun, Mister Turner," Barbossa called.

"Aye, sir." The fierce black pirate appeared at Barbossa's side, his arms and bare chest covered in blood. Turner arrived a moment later, still breathing a bit hard from his exertions.

"Round up what be left of this barge's crew," the old pirate directed, finally lowering his cutlass to the immense relief of the Spanish Captain. "I will be in the great cabin. Inform me when the _Pearl_ is sighted." Turner looked like he was going to add something to this, but Barbossa headed him off. "And be soft with what be left of these gents." Bo'sun nodded, but the deadly look in his eyes spoke differently.

Turner watched the large man apprehensively as he walked away and then said to Barbossa, "I think I will supervise this work, if you don't mind Barbossa."

The older pirate waved him away and walked toward the doors of the _Almiranta's_ great cabin. It was smaller, but more organized than the captain's quarters on the _Pearl_. It also did not have the large glass windows of newer vessels and was lit mostly by candlelight. Barbossa quickly found the Captain's private liquor store, which included a very fine wine. He had just settled into a comfortable chair with a large goblet of the dark red liquid when a knock sounded on the door. "Aye, what is it?" he called.

Twigg stepped hurriedly into the room, his face tight and pale under stains of dirt and blood. "We've sighted a ship, sir," he said anxiously.

"The _Pearl_?" Barbossa asked briskly.

"I don't believe so, Mister Barbossa."

The pirate was out the door in a moment, leaving the goblet on a small side table. He hurried up the aft castle stairs to where Turner and Bo'sun were standing.

"Three points to port," Bill Turner said shortly, his voice tense as he handed Barbossa the spyglass.

Barbossa looked where he had indicated and felt his blood run cold for a moment with dread. There was no mistaking it. "A man o' war," he said darkly. "Any sign of the _Pearl_?

"No, sir," Bo'sun replied, "but dey may have trouble findin' us wit movin' into de Passage."

"We could cut the _Sovereign_ free and make a run for the coast. The _Pearl_ will surely be there," Turner insisted.

"No," Barbossa snapped. "This old barque is no match for a Spanish warship and with this wind, they will be on us in no time. Better to play the helpless merchant vessel again." Thinking quickly he ordered the crew, "Shift the dead weight into the Sovereign's hold and swab the blood from the deck." They scurried to carry out the orders, carrying the corpses of the fallen sailors to the hold of the pirate ship while others tried to clean the gore from the wood of the decks. He watched them for a moment then, catching sight of a rotund figure, he called, "Master Pintel!"

The round and dirty pirate looked up wide-eyed, startled to hear Barbossa speak to him. Pintel rushed over to the old pirate and stood in front of him hesitantly, clearly at loss as to what he could want.

Barbossa gave him an appraising look and, although seemingly repelled with what his saw, asked, "How precise are the _Sovereign's_ remainin' cannon?"

The gunner gazed at him dimly for a moment, but replied, "They be accurate enough if, as it were, the crew knows them well."

"Master Pintel," Barbossa said with cruel amusement, "I hope for yer sake as well as mine that yeh be very familiar with those guns, or this day may be the last we e'er see though it will certainly be yers if you fail." Pintel blanched and stared at Barbossa whose voice turned deadly serious in an instant. "Gather gun crews and have them aim for the man o' war's main mast or rudder. We have to disable that ship if we are to survive this day." The stout pirate was certainly not looking well as he turned away to gather men to go back to the _Sovereign_.

"You mean to fight them," a voice said from behind him. It was Turner.

Barbossa had forgotten that he was there and as he turned to look at the younger man, he could see that his face was firm and resolute. "I don't know that we'll have a choice, but we had best keep fighting them as a last resort. Still, I need to know what kind of weapons this here barge be carrying." Turner nodded gravely and went to check below decks.

The Spanish warship closed quickly on the conjoined vessels. The pirates could only hope that their activities would be taken as attempts to save what they could from the sinking ship, whose deck was now tilted at an angle that made walking across it difficult. Although her gun ports were still above water, time would be of the essence if it came down to a battle.

Turner had brought the Captain of the _Almiranta_ back on deck along with most of the Spanish crew explaining, "Our men look about as Spanish as a crew of Cockney tarts." Barbossa couldn't disagree with this logic, but it would be dangerous. If one of them called out to the warship, it could all be over in a moment. He and Turner positioned members of their own crew near these men. Bootstrap had also told him that the ship had very little in the way of armaments, save for the deck guns. Barbossa nodded soberly at this news, but had not expected it to be otherwise.

Barbossa stood with Turner on the aft castle deck watching the man o' war's approach. Via Ramírez, the pirate asked the Spanish captain if he recognized the vessel.

He looked eagerly at the warship and with some triumph, "Ella es las _Angustias_ y te enviará al Infierno en este día, pirata! (7)"

Barbossa listened calmly to the translation. "Not afore I send yeh there myself," he replied in his softest and most deadly tones. "Tell yer men to act as though nothin' be amiss or I will spill yer tripe on this deck here and now." The Captain was ashen faced as he ordered his crew to comply with the pirates' demands.

Turner looked darkly at the approaching vessel. "I suppose there is no hope of her just passing us by," he said despondently.

Barbossa shook his head. "When there is a Spanish galleon and an English ship lashed together in the middle of the Caribbean? No, they will come cautiously with all their cannons ready."

His words proved to be prophetic as the _Angustias_ came clearly into view. She was a large vessel, far larger than either the _Sovereign_ or the _Almiranta_, with two decks of cannon, all of which were trained on the bound ships. The crew fidgeted nervously as the man o' war came within cannon range. "Easy, gents," Barbossa said calmly, watching the scene carefully.

A few moments later a voice called out from the warship, "Dios usted salve, señor capitan y maestre. ¿Está todo bien con usted? (8)"

The Captain of the captured vessel hesitated, but at a glance from Barbossa responded, "Todo está bien. Esta nave Inglesa se está hundiendo y estamos llevando el tripulación y el cargamento a Cuba. (9)" Ramírez gave Barbossa a subtle look that told him the captain had not betrayed them. _The boy is very cool under fire_, Barbossa noted in spite of the tension of the moment. _He may make a fine pirate one day_.

The _Angustias_ turned slightly and made to sail past the two ships on the starboard side of the galleon. _They aren't takin' chances_, Barbossa thought as the voice called out from the warship again, "¿Les acompañamos? (10)"

The captain hesitated again, the warship being nearly level with the galleon. But before he could form a reply, one of the _Almiranta's_ crew broke away from his captor's and ran to the rail screaming, "¡Son piratas! ¡Socorro! (11)" The reckless man was shot in the back by Koehler and he fell overboard, but the sound of his body hitting the water was lost amid the sudden roar of muskets and cannon.

The soldiers aboard the Spanish warship unleashed a hail of death upon the decks of the _Almiranta_ and the _Sovereign_. "Get down," Turner yelled, throwing an arm around young Ramírez and pulling him to the deck.

Barbossa, however, lunged for the ship's wheel. He pulled it hard to starboard as he watched the _Angustias_ clear the bow of the galleon. The weak stern of the warship had been exposed by the ship's close pass by the side of the _Almiranta_. The old galleon groaned as she turned, the ropes that bound her to the _Sovereign_ stretching dangerously as the pirate ship was drawn around with her. "Fire!" Barbossa shouted.

The portside guns of the _Sovereign_ roared to life, the shots puncturing the aft castle of the warship. Yet the rudder was only nicked by the assault. Barbossa cursed Pintel vehemently as he watched the bloodied, but far from defeated man o' war pull away. Just out of cannon range the warship began a slow turn that would bring her around to finish the battle.

"I doubt she will give us another opportunity like that." Turner had joined the older pirate at the helm, also watching the _Angustia's_ progress.

"Aye, that'd be too much to hope for, Mister Turner," Barbossa acknowledged. "Unless..." He looked up into the sky for a moment, then suddenly moved to the stairs that lead to the main deck. Bootstrap Bill quickly followed him. "Bo'sun, Monk," Barbossa called, "get aboard the Sovereign and have Pintel's gunners load the starboard cannon. Turner," he said, pivoting to look at the younger pirate, "hold fast until the man o' war is on yeh then be ready to cut the cables and put on all sail. Yeh understand?"

Turner looked incredulously at him for a moment then his face brightened, understanding. "Aye," he said with conviction and started shouting orders to the men who remained on the _Almiranta_.

"Hawksmoor and Grisaffi, ye're with me," Barbossa ordered as he moved to cross back to his ship. "Have the longboat ready," he told his companions as they reached the main deck. Barbossa himself went to the command deck of the _Sovereign_. A flutter of movement caught his eye and he saw that the ship still flew the Union Jack. He quickly lowered it and pulled a black flag from its place of concealment. This he raised and watched as the wind caught it, revealing a skull with crossed cutlasses underneath it. _The Sovereign will end under her true colors_, he thought with satisfaction.

Barbossa looked back at the galleon and saw that Bootstrap had men stationed both aloft in the rigging and below on the main deck, waiting for the order to be given. Barbossa looked to Bill Turner, who stood at the wheel of the galleon and gave him a nod to show that he was ready.

The _Angustias_ completed her turn and as the wind filled her sails again, she lept forward on the hunt. "Come on, yeh curs," Barbossa growled. "Let's be finishin' this dance!"

The warship came up again on the right side of the seemingly defenseless _Almiranta_ and the first shots from the soldiers' weapons were beginning to cut threw the air. "Now!" Barbossa roared.

A moment later, the lines that had bound the _Almiranta_ and the _Sovereign_ together were severed and all the sails of the galleon were unfurled. She jumped forward, free of the vessel that had tethered her. Barbossa pulled the wheel slightly to port to allow the galleon to pass, then felt a rare rush of gratitude when he saw that Turner had twisted the helm of the _Almiranta_ hard to starboard, cutting across the path of the man o' war. _Yeh have some courage, boy_, he thought elatedly as the _Angustias_ turned closer to the pirate ship in order to avoid a collision with the galleon.

The man o' war was only yards away when he gave the order. "Send 'em to Hell, gents!" Yet the thunder from the _Sovereign_ was drown out by the fury the man o' war unleashed. The air was filled with shards of death as wood from the hulls of the two ships shattered under the barrage.

A moment later Barbossa was thrown to the deck as the _Angustias_ came apart. The _Sovereign_ had her revenge even as she herself was dying, for one of the cannon shot had impossibly, spectacularly struck the munitions stores of the warship.

Barbossa got to his feet unsteadily, a trickle of blood running down his arm. He watched dispassionately as the remains of the man o' war sank into the deep dark waters of the Caribbean. Yet this moment of triumph was snatched away as the sound of tortured wood came from the hold. "Get the longboat into the water," he shouted to Hawksmoor as he descended from the command deck. Grisaffi, he saw, would never leave the ship again, his blood seeping deep into her timbers.

Bo'sun, Pintel, Monk and a few other soot and blood covered men emerged from below, their pants dripping with seawater. "The hull 'as given way, sir," Pintel gasped.

"Into the longboat all of yeh mutts," Barbossa said urgently. "The _Sovereign_ will take us down with her if we tarry."

They pulled away as water began to rush from the midship hatch. The pirates floated among the fires of the dead _Angustias_, watching their ship sink beneath the waves. The spray of the sea was cold on Barbossa's face, his hands clenched as he watched the death throws of his ship. The scarlet sun was sinking toward the horizon as the _Sovereign_ disappeared into the sea.

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Author's Notes

1) The Casa de Contratación, or the House of Trade, regulated commerce among Spain and her colonies and, along with several other duties, determined what ships would sail and when. The House was also the main mint of gold and silver received from the Americas, which no doubt would be of interest to our dear Captain Sparrow.

2) A type of three masted vessel with the main & fore masts 'square rigged' and the mizzen mast being 'fore & aft rigged.'

3) Hispaniola is the name for the island that is divided into Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

4) Bells: The ship's bell is struck every half hour during a watch. In a watch that started at 12noon, 12:30 is one bell, 1 o'clock is 2 bells and so on to 4:00 o'clock, which is 8 bells. At 4:30 one bell is again struck. "How many bells have gone?" is a sailor's way of asking the time. Do I actually sound like I know what I am talking about?

5) English vessel, do you need assistance?

6) Surrender or Yield.

7) She is the _Angustias_ and she will send you to Hell on this day, pirate!

8) God save you, Sir captain and master. Is all well with you?

9) All is well. This English ship is sinking and we are taking the crew and cargo to Cuba.

10) Shall we accompany you?

11) They are pirates! Help!


	5. Rum and Women

**Sailor Heva**: (does a jig of joy around her room) I'm free! I'm free! I'm free!

**Jack**: (with a look of apprehension) Does she do this often, Barbossa?

**Barbossa**: She just finished her schooling last month and seems to be thinking she can start writing again after abandoning us for the last year.

**Sailor Heva**: (stops twirling) Captain, please understand the hell I've been through these last two semesters of college with all the papers and the tests and the grades and…

**Barbossa**: (snorts) Stop with the excuses, missy. You were stuck and yeh know it.

**Sailor Heva**: Well, I admit that I had to completely rethink the way this story was unfolding. I mean, I didn't even plan to bring in a couple of people unless I wrote a sequel, but I realized that there were plot issues that needed to be addressed and so ...

**Barbossa**: (moves his hand to his sword)

**Sailor Heva**: (more than slightly panicked) Can't we just forget this if I promise to never go this long without an update again! (falls to her knees) Please! I mean, you win in my story and get to be the cause all sorts of mayhem. You know, torture, chaos, pillaging, mental anguish. All the good things in life and fanfics!

**Barbossa**: Very well. I'll forgive yeh this once.

**Sailor Heva**: Oh goody! Now let's get on with this.

**Jack**: Now when you say torture and anguish, you weren't talking about my future were ya, luv? Ya've already left me completely out of the previous chapter.

**Barbossa**: (throws an arm around the smaller captain) Jack, Jack. Did yeh not notice that I be the hero of Miss Heva's story. She even has a figure of me on her shelf next to her piece of the cursed treasure. Now who do yeh suppose she really fancies?

**Sailor Heva**: Well, actually I found it on sale at MediaPlay. Jack and Will's figures were long since sold out. (quickly placating) But yours was the one I really wanted, Captain Barbossa!

**Jack**: (smug) Then why have you been looking on Ebay for me, luv?

**Sailor Heva**: _laughs nervously as she looks at Barbossa's glowering face_ Haha, never mind that now. We need to get this fan fiction moving! Jack, why don't you give the disclaimer this time.

**Jack**: Miss Heva still doesn't own pirates except for this unfortunate piece. (takes the action figure off the shelf) Sure you don't want it outside your door to scare away company?

--------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Five – Rum and Women

The battle-wearied men aboard the _Almiranta_ cheered as Barbossa and the rest of the survivors came aboard. Ragetti would have hugged Pintel had not the older pirate threaten to cut him into bait and throw him to the sharks.

But the look on Barbossa's face kept the men from speaking to him, save for Koehler who quickly informed him that the _Black Pearl_ had been spotted sailing toward them in the deepening evening. Barbossa nodded, turning away and called to the crew who had been watching this exchange with interest, "Get back to work, yeh cockroaches."

The pirates scurried to clear a path for him as he walked back to the great cabin. Barbossa slammed the doors behind him and threw himself into a soft chair. He desperately needed a drink to rid himself of the images of the _Sovereign's_ end and the faces of dead comrades. The cup of wine he had poured before the battle with the _Angustias_ had fallen to the floor, as had the bottle from which it had come. Barbossa picked it up, looking at it as if it had betrayed him. He threw it against the wall where it shattered spectacularly. Rum it would be then.

He had nearly finished the bottle when a knock came from the door. Barbossa glowered at it, daring whomever it was to enter. The door creaked open and Jack Sparrow's head appeared. "Safe to come in, mate?" he asked lightly.

Barbossa sat back and shrugged. "Do as yeh like, Captain."

"Excellent!" Jack entered followed by Bootstrap who pulled along the Spanish captain, who somehow had managed to avoid even a cut during the earlier battles. Sparrow carried three more bottles of rum and a canvas bag that proved to be filled with bread, cheese, salted meat, and an assortment of fruit when he poured out its contents onto a table. "The crew are helping themselves to the stores, but I thought we should come in here, have dinner, and discuss the location of certain items, savvy?"

Turner looked grim, but calmly sat down beside Jack while the Spaniard looked sick and stood trembling. "Siéntete," Sparrow directed and the Captain sank weakly into the chair next to Barbossa. There followed a rapid exchange in Spanish, the only words of which that were comprehensible to the older pirate were "Cortés" and "Vera Cruz". Jack looked at the Captain intently drawing his knife, but only cut a slab from the salted beef and sat back chewing it with a thoughtful expression on his face. After a long pull from his rum bottle, he asked, "¿Dónde están las cartas? (1)"

The Spaniard stood and walked to a small cabinet, unlocking it with a small silver key he withdrew from his pocket. Barbossa could see a glint of gold from inside, but the captain only took out a small leather bundle with a red wax seal from the cabinet. He was about to close it again when Barbossa snarled, "Leave it open, señor." The captain apparently understood this and sat down again rapidly.

Sparrow took the bundle eagerly, but was surprisingly careful as he broke the seal and removed a packet of paper that had been wrapped in a soft white cloth. To Barbossa's surprise it wasn't a map or chart that Sparrow opened. "They look to be old letters," he said guardedly.

"And so they are," Jack replied distractedly, already deeply absorbed by their contents.

"They were written by Cortés himself nearly two hundred years ago," Bill Turner continued. "He wrote many letters detailing the conquest for the Emperor Charles I, but these the conqueror sent later and to his father, not the monarch."

"So Cortés wrote 'bout the treasure's location in these letters? Then how do yeh know that someone else might not have taken it for themselves?"

This time it was Jack who answered looking up at him. "Because these papers don't say where the treasure is exactly, and yet they do." Barbossa was not in the mood for riddles and said so. "The letters say that the gold is located on the Isla de la Muerta, the Island of Death. And don't bother with the charts," Sparrow continued with a mischievous half smile. "Legend says that it cannot be found 'cept by those who already know where it is."

What patience Barbossa possessed was fast dwindling. "And so how are we to locate it, Captain Sparrow?" he queried, an annoyed note in his voice.

"With the guide that Cortés had."

"And where would will we be lookin' for that?"

"What we need is in Mexico, mate. Vera Cruz, to be more precise."

Barbossa considered Jack carefully as he finally took a portion of the fare Jack had brought to the cabin. Finally he said, "The port is guarded by a fortress, which will make sacking the town difficult."

Sparrow took a swig of rum and smiled. "That's why I don't plan on attacking the city. The Castillo is better left unchallenged."

"Then how…"

"I believe," the young captain cut in smoothly, "another act of subterfuge is what is called for in this case."

The morning dawned bright and clear, the storm of the night before having blow itself out, leaving the waters of the Caribbean a deep, turbulent blue. The most valuable supplies from the _Almiranta_ were gradually transferred from the galleon to the Black Pearl. At noon, Jack Sparrow assembled the crew on the deck.

"Men, you've all done well. We'll divide the spoils equally among ya," he said to the cheers of the pirates. "Now it is time for you to decide who will be your officers. Each man stand for your position."

Before Barbossa could say a word, Bill Turner stepped forward to address the crew. "Gentlemen," he began with an ironic smile on his face, "once again I come before you as we determine who will lead. Yet now I wish it to be known that I withdraw my claim for the position of first mate." A murmur of surprise rippled through the men. Sparrow gave his friend a searching look, but kept his face from revealing anything. However, Barbossa's eyes narrowed suspiciously at Bootstrap's declaration. W_hat are yeh doin', lad_? he thought.

Bill ignored both looks and continued, "I realize that this may come as a shock, but I believe that this crew deserves a mate whose experience and seamanship has been demonstrated to all in the battle yesterday." He nodded politely to Barbossa and finished, "I declare my support for Barbossa to be our first mate."

There was uproarious cheers and applause at this statement, particularly from the crewmen who had been aboard the _Sovereign_. Sparrow hesitated a moment then raised his hand, calling for silence. "The crew shall have their way. Mister Barbossa, will ya accept the position?" he asked with his hand extended.

"Aye, Captain," the older pirate replied firmly. "We have an accord." Barbossa shook Sparrow's hand briefly before the Captain addressed the crew again.

"I propose that Bootstrap Bill serve as Quartermaster of the _Pearl_ and Bo'sun take the position of, well, Bosun," he finished with a slightly amused air. The crew quickly gave their support for these appointments. "Then men, with that settled, make ready to sail."

Barbossa frowned at these words and several of the men looked rather confused. The first mate turned his back on them and quietly asked, "And what of the galleon and her crew?"

Sparrow gave him an appraising look before replying, "The Spaniards will be returned to their ship unharmed, but the _Almiranta_'s rudder will be disabled."

Barbossa's frown deepened. "Be that wise, sir? Leavin' 'em alive can only create difficulties later."

"Be that as it may," Jack replied coolly, "they will be left in peace."

Barbossa looked at his captain with barely controlled disdain. "Ye're too soft hearted, sir." He then turned away to carry out the orders and to prepare the _Pearl_. There was still much work to be done if Sparrow's new plan was to succeed.

-----------------------------

"Ah, Mexico!" Jack Sparrow sighed with pleasure as he surveyed the sight before him. "The food, the drink, and the lovely señoritas."

The port of Vera Cruz was a bustle of activity as the Black Pearl, repainted with the name _Almiranta_ on her stern, dropped anchor in her clear aqua waters. With a roguish look on his face, the captain turned merrily to Turner and Barbossa, who were standing near him by the rail of the ship. "Organize the men and prepare to unload our supplies. Tell the crew to speak as little as possible and to behave themselves. We are, after all, respectable merchants," he finished with a twinkle in his eyes.

The business of playing a merchant vessel went unexpectedly smoothly throughout the day and into the afternoon. Captain Sparrow effortlessly negotiated with the various tradesmen who had stores arriving from Spain aboard the vessel and merchants who were interested in any bargains that might be made for what remained. With most of the vendors gone for the day, Barbossa stood on the wooden pier, supervising the movement of the last of the trade goods. The heat of the afternoon sun had created a shimmer on the dock when a stir among the crew alerted Barbossa to the presence of something, or rather someone, very unusual on the dock.

A woman of rare beauty was walking toward the _Pearl_, dressed modestly in a dark green velvet dress that was well worn and a bit faded. A black lace shawl covered her dark hair and her eyes were modestly cast down as she made her way to the ship. Beside her trotted a rather different figure robed in black drapings that befitted her sour expression. She was likely the young miss's old governess turned guardian given the threatening glances she cast toward the men who dared to call to her mistress. Her gargoyle gaze caused more than a few to step back in trepidation.

Barbossa watched with wry interest as the two women reached the end of the dock where the _Pearl_ was berthed. The younger looked up at the ship with a sort of anxious eagerness. Her gaze finally met that of the first mate and she looked down again quickly while saying something to her handler.

The hag walked determinedly up to the pirate. "¿Es usted el capitán de esta nave?"(2) she asked, her eyes lingering disapprovingly on his large feather hat and dark blue coat. Barbossa understood the gist of what she had said and nodded to Ramírez, who ran to get Captain Sparrow.

Jack arrived quickly and took in the appearance of the younger woman with obvious interest. "Buenas tardes, señorita," he said smoothly, taking the lady's hand with both of his, bringing it smoothly to his lips. Or rather attempting to do so. Barbossa suppressed a chuckle as the older woman slapped Jack's hand away with a look that seemed to promise that he would lose the limb should he try such an act again.

Sparrow stepped back with an expression that suggested he had not observed this additional individual, his attention being focused on a more worthy attraction, and didn't quite know what to make of the crone. The girl, however, smiled a bit at this response and the captain spoke quickly to cover the affront to his pride. "¿Comó le puedo ayudar, señorita?"(3)

Barbossa stood by idly while Jack spoke with the governess, although their talk quickly took on the tone of an argument. The old woman began to shake her finger at the captain in a threatening manner, but he seemed to be standing his ground in the face of her furious diatribe. At last the young lady said something that sound like a compromise. Jack gave her a brilliant smile. He appeared to be very pleased with the outcome although the hag looked at her charge with something akin to incredulity.

Sparrow turned and walked over to Ramírez, who stood near Barbossa upon his return. "Bring the letters here and tell Bill to mind the ship until he hears from me." The boy darted back on board while Sparrow said to the old pirate in a low voice, "These ladies are here for Cortés' papers."

The first mate looked at the pair with new interest. "They are hardly the type I would have expected to be looking for lost treasure."

Jack smirked and nodded. "Nor are they, mate. I doubt they know anything about Cortés' gold. It seems they are acting at the behest of a third party and whomever that person is, it appears that he has promised them a substantial amount of gold for the letters."

Barbossa scrutinized the two women, ignoring the death glare of the elder and noted, "The young miss does seem to be in need of gold." The lady wore long gloves that couldn't hide that her sleeve was a full two inches above her wrist. The hem of her skirt also revealed that the dress had originally been for an earlier time for lace had been added to prevent an indecent amount of her legs from being visible.

Ramírez returned quickly with the bundle of carefully resealed papers. The girl's eyes lit up at the sight of the documents and she eagerly extended her hands for them. Jack pulled back slightly, flashing his most charming smile. "¿Comó se llama, señorita?"

She frowned slightly at this, but shook her head as her governess seemed ready to set upon the captain. "Marina Eloxochitl de Cardenas."

"¡Encantado!"(4) Sparrow replied, offering his arm to the lady to escort her back up the pier. Señorita Marina smiled again and seemed about to accept when her bulldog companion intervened yet again, this time physically imposing herself between them, and gave her charge a push to get her moving away from the young captain. Jack pivoted to give Barbossa a rueful glance before motioning for the older pirate and the young Ramírez to follow as he set out after the ladies.

The streets of Vera Cruz were filled in the late afternoon with people moving among the vendors selling foodstuffs and other goods. These crowds gradually thinned as the three pirates and found themselves being led into a much more affluent section of the city. They arrived at an elegant Spanish style villa, whitewashed with pale blue detailing.

The young woman looked at the door nervously, perhaps even fearfully, as her servant stepped up to the entrance. A finely dressed footman opened the door almost at once and showed them into a richly appointed room, which had been painted with a bright mural. Señorita Marina and Captain Sparrow were taken into an inner room, while Barbossa, Ramírez, and the governess were left alone. While the old woman made a fine show of ignoring her two companions, they began to examine the mural.

They began with a scene that looked to be Cortés arriving on the coast and burning his ships. As he looked at the paintings, Barbossa's gaze was drawn to the image of a woman. There was something about her exotic beauty that reminded him of Marina. Her serene face and intelligent gaze made her stand out among the group of other women among whom she had been placed. The scene reminded the pirate of a slave auction although the females were probably gifts to the Spaniards. The ensuing images continued to show the beautiful slave girl, usually at the side of Cortés and she even appeared to speak for him.

Barbossa had just scanned a scene that showed the Spaniards' entry into a large city dominated by imposing pyramids, when Jack appeared again with Marina close behind him. The captain gave a final bow to the unseen occupant of the chamber they were exiting. As that door closed, he turned to the lady and said smoothly, "Espero verle otra vez, señorita."

"Eso no sería apropiado, capitán, pero estoy agradecida por su ayuda," she said graciously and this time she offered him her hand. He kissed it before the governess could let out more than a squeak of indignation.

"Hasta que nos veamos entonces," Jack called as he swept out the entrance, quickly followed by his two crewmen.

"I take it there was a point to all of that, Captain Sparrow," Barbossa asked.

"I thought it was reward enough merely to accompany such a lovely lady." Jack sighed dramatically before adding deviously, "But you're quite correct that I had more in mind and was quite successful in achieving my purpose."

"Then you know where the gold be?"

"Not yet, but I will very soon." Jack stopped to give his first mate an appraising look. "Know anything about burglary?" Before Barbossa could formulate a reply, Jack hurried on, "We'll worry about that later tonight, mate. For now I propose we find a tavern and a tankard of rum back in a friendlier section of town. Particularly before the new owner of the letters, Don Fernando Carrillo de Mendoza y Cortés, discovers that a few pages are missing!

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Author's Notes

1) Where are the letters?

2) Are you the captain of this ship?

3) How can I help you, señorita?

4) Beautiful!

5) I hope to see you again, señorita.

6) That would not be appropriate, captain, but thank you for your assistance.

7) Until our next meeting then.

Many thanks to those who have reviewed, particularly Argentine Rose, Indigent Tenshi and Alteng. I hope you still have some interest in this story after all of this time!


	6. Curses

Chapter 6 – Curses

The Toro Viejo was little different than the multitude of other pubs that Barbossa had visited in his time. A little cleaner than some, less crowded than others, and certainly more peaceful than the Faithful Bride of Tortuga, but it contained an air of frustrated hopes, and desperate dreaming that wafted through the air like candle smoke.

The first mate of the Black Pearl sighed in frustration and leaned back in his chair, wondering what in hell Jack Sparrow was planning. The source of said vexation was currently finishing a meal of the local fare while exchanging meaningful looks with a pretty señorita across the room. This Latin lovely seemed equally interested in Jack, and giggled every time he looked her way.

"Cap'n Sparrow, I would be much obliged if yeh would inform me what we be doin' here?" Barbossa finally asked in a would-be-calm voice.

Jack sobered a bit and focused his attention on his first mate. "Ya want to know why we are taking pleasure in the comforts of this charming little cantina instead of sweltering in the heat on the Pearl? Ya need to learn to have some fun, mate."

"I'll enjoy myself all yeh want when we are quit of this hostile port with the location of the Aztec gold, which ye've promised all of us exists," Barbossa replied smoothly before taking a long pull of his rum that nearly finished off the mug.

"You think we are here to find the location of the treasure?" Jack asked, a blank look on his face.

"Why else?" Barbossa shot back, staring at Sparrow with narrowed eyes.

"You really don't understand the situation at all," the captain of the Pearl replied incredulously.

"We're not here to learn the location of the treasure of Cortés?" the older pirate asked, now looking perplexed. "Then what was the point of comin' here, or of taking the _Almiranta_?

"Barbossa," Jack continued slowly, "the Isla de Muerta cannot be found 'cept by those who already know where it is, savvy?"

"We cannot find it?"

"No."

"Then how did Cortés discover it?" Barbossa said, his voice now becoming sardonic. "Or did the treasure just suddenly remove itself to said island?!"

"Oh no, old Cortés delivered it there hisself," Jack Sparrow reassured him. "But he knew where the island was."

"Are we are here to learn what he knew?" Barbossa asked, beginning to feel a bit desperate.

Jack shook his head yet again. "You're not following me, mate. How can we learn what he knew two hundred years ago when we don't have his means of knowing?"

Barbossa sighed and wondered how he had gotten himself into this conversation. He could now see very clearly that serving under Sparrow's command was going to cause him a lot of headaches. "Señora, rum!" he called to the serving woman, then rubbed the bridge of his nose. Finally he asked another question. "But the letters will lead us to a means of getting the treasure of Cortés, will they not?"

Jack looked again at the girl across the room and smiled slightly. "Oh, they already have, Barbossa." Without further explanation Jack got up and strolled over to the señorita he had been eyeing.

Barbossa watched him, wondering what all of it had meant. "Not easy, is it?" a voice asked. The first mate looked around to see that Ramírez had returned from the Black Pearl with Bootstrap. It was Turner who had spoken. The new quartermaster of the Pearl sat down in the chair that Jack had vacated while the boy went to get the drink that Barbossa had ordered. "Jack's logic takes some getting use to."

"What did he mean about our purpose for being in this here port was not to find the location of the treasure?" the weathered pirate asked.

Bill sighed and ran a hand through his dark brown hair. "It has been a long road to even come this far. Jack began searching for the treasure of Cortés since shortly after he became the captain of the _Black Pearl_, but it hasn't been easy."

Curious, Barbossa asked, "And when did all that occur?"

"Nearly two years ago."

The first mate took his rum from young Ramírez who had returned from the bar and pushed his unfinished meal to the boy and eagerly set about clearing the plate. The appetite of youth, Barbossa thought amused before continuing his conversation with Turner. "Jack has had the _Pearl_ neigh on two years and has yet to make a reputation for himself?"

With a tired smile Bootstrap said, "We haven't spent much time in the Caribbean yet."

"So what has set ye on the path we be following now?"

"Tia Dalma."

Barbossa frowned. "The mystic?" He had heard of her, of course, during his time in Tortuga, but he had never had an opportunity to visit the famous seer.

Bill nodded and continued, "The path to the treasure lead us to her, but Tia Dalma doesn't just give away her insights nor the trinkets she has collected. Something of value must be bartered for the favors she grants. And in this case, she wanted something specific," he shrugged expressively, "and so here we are."

"So it is Tia Dalma that Jack must satisfy in order to find the treasure?" Barbossa reasoned. "Why doesn't she seek the treasure if she has the key to its location."

"Because that isn't what she wants..." Bill began to reply, but a commotion from across the room drew both of the pirates' attention.

Jack was being faced down by a taller, and much broader, man who seemed to have taken offense with the captain's pursuit of the Mexican beauty. Sparrow appeared to be attempting to verbally diffuse the situation, but all of that quickly ended when his opponent took a swing at him.

The captain neatly ducked and the punch struck another patron of the establishment instead. The situation quickly deteriorated after that. Had they been in Tortuga an all out brawl would surely have followed, however, these patrons seemed to blame Jack Sparrow for the problem. He was quickly outnumbered facing a number of armed and angry locals.

"Need a hand, Captain?" Bootstrap asked quickly crossing the room.

Jack replied, "I would rather have your sword, a pistol, and possible one of the _Pearl's_ cannon, but we can't be too choosy, eh? We need to make our departure quickly and cleanly before they call in the army."

Barbossa also moved to back up his captain, and the rest of the customers of the tavern quickly moved out of the way of the fight. "Stay out of this," the older pirate called to Ramírez, who looked both excited and terrified. The boy stayed behind Barbossa and watched wide-eyed as the men who faced his three shipmates attacked.

The first mate stepped smoothly to one side as a man with a cutlass lunged at him. Barbossa sent him sailing into the back wall of the tavern with a sharp blow from his sword grip, but barely managed to avoid another ruffian's dagger thrust. He parried this attack, and grabbed the man's extended hand, spinning him around and into a third man wielding a club. The pair fell near Ramírez and the youth quickly grabbed up the fallen club, bashing one of them over the head. The boy quickly jumped aside as Barbossa knocked the other out with a kick to the face before turning back to his first attacker. This man seemed to think better of continuing the fight, and ran out of the tavern yelling something as he went.

Out of the corner of his eye Barbossa could see Jack and Bootstrap fighting in perfect tandem, each guarding the others back and easily outclassing their opponents. A rush from the two men who had first attacked the captain separated the pair briefly, but Jack jumped smoothly up onto the bar to avoid the onslaught. The young captain nimbly jumped over another slash aimed at his legs, at the same time landing a kick in the face of the man who had taken offense at his interest in the señorita. The man let out a howl, and slashed at Jack again. Sparrow flipped off the bar, landing behind his opponent.

The three pirates easily outclassed the locals in skill even with the numbers stacked against them, but it couldn't last for long. Most of the tavern goers had cleared out when five Spanish soldiers, led by a naval officer, burst in through the doors. The first mate found himself parrying the blows of two of these new opponents, whom he normally could have dispatched easily, but now feeling the effects of the drawn out battle he could merely evade and wound.

Barbossa swung viciously at the soldiers who faced him, keeping them at bay. These two were far more skillful than the locals. The fight moved him farther and farther from Sparrow and Turner, who also appeared to be having troubles. "Barbossa," he finally heard Bootstrap call. "Get out and meet us back at the Pearl!"

"Aye," he yelled in acknowledgment, before sending one of his attackers to the floor with an elbow to the face. "Come on, boy," he yelled and grabbed Ramírez's shirt collar. He threw the boy toward the door, and turned back one more time to the persistent Spaniard. With a series of vicious, strong attacks, Barbossa gained the upper hand in the duel. The soldier momentarily lost his balance as he backed into a table, and the first mate sent over it with a kick to the stomach.

Barbossa ran out of the tavern into the night with his young companion just ahead of him. Neither of the two knew their way around this foreign city, and the pirate did not want to lead their pursuers back to the Pearl. He moved past Ramírez, saying, "This way, boy!"

They took several sharp turns in the narrow alley of Vera Cruz, and Barbossa finally pulled his follower behind a large stack of crates. They watched breathlessly as the soldiers who were pursuing them stopped feet away from their place of concealment. Barbossa's hand settled on his sword hilt as he saw one of the men motion down the dark street where the two pirates were hiding. But his superior barked a command and motioned for them to continue on the way they had been going.

The cabin boy sighed with relief and collapsed onto the ground, suddenly feeling exhausted. "That was very close, Señor Barbossa. What should we do now?"

Barbossa crouched unmoving, continuing to watch the place where the soldiers had disappeared, and answered, "We'll wait a bit, and then head back to the ship. If we stay on these back streets we should be able to avoid any soldiers."

The main streets of the city were still filled with people enjoying the cool wind that was coming in from the sea. The sounds of the crowd and the scents from the street vendors selling food drifted over the houses and alleyways. But the two pirates set out in the opposite direction, slowly and carefully making their way back to the docks where the Black Pearl was berthed. Their foreign appearance would only draw unwelcome attention among the townsfolk.

Just as they began to think that the pair began to believe that they would have no further trouble, they heard the sound of angry shouts and running feet. Barbossa turned quickly, drawing his sword in the same smooth motion. A small, cloaked figure in black was running towards them pursued by two rough looking men.

Barbossa watched with wary interest as the figure pulled up short, apparently looking for some other passage of escape. The pursuers also stopped, one brandishing a dagger and the other a short sword. The old pirate was about to step aside and let them all carry on, when one of the men yelled something. "¡Es nuestro, anciago! ¡¡Déjanos pasar!!" (1)

Although the exact meaning of the words was lost on him, Barbossa didn't take kindly to being threatened by street riff-raff. He leveled his sword, his eyes carefully following the movements of the two men. "Leave now, yeh fifthly cockroaches," he growled menacingly, "or let's have done with it!"

Hot with the blood rush of the chase, the two ruffians charged forward with more energy than skill. Barbossa parried the dagger, catching hold of the outstretched arm that held it and twisted it savagely with a sickening crack. The man dropped to the ground, howling in pain while his companion took a step back to assess the new odds. Finding that they were decidedly not in his favor, the other thug lost his nerve and turned tail. His companion followed shouting what sounded like curses at the pirate.

With a grunt of disgust, Barbossa sheathed his sword. Without a glance, he called to Ramírez, "Let's go!" and moved down the alley.

Before he had taken ten steps a soft voice behind him said, "Señor, ayudame por favor." (2) Eyebrows raised in surprised, Barbossa turned back and looked into the lovely face that he had seen that morning on the dock. The young woman looked terrified, but there was also a gleam of desperation in her eyes.

Although the old pirate knew that he shouldn't delay returning to the Pearl, the mystery of the beautiful señorita Marina alone in the moonlight on this treacherous street was too tempting to ignore. With as much polite sincerity as he could muster, Barbossa stepped toward the lady and smoothly said, "My apologies, Miss. How can I be of service to 'e?"

"Por favor, Señor, I need your help," Marina pleaded, her eyes briefly catching his, then lowering with proper deportment. "I must reach the docks before the hour tolls. I cannot express how important this is!"

Barbossa smirked, taking in the sight of the girl. Despite her manners, the fact that she spoke English so well told of another side to the pretty señorita. And as she was going the same way as he… "My lady, it would be an honor to escort yeh to yer rendezvous."

-----------------------

The presence of Señorita Marina proved to be fortuitous for Barbossa and Ramírez as she made their motley appearance more respectable. Before long they were standing on the docks of Vera Cruz not half a mile from where the _Black Pearl_ was berthed.

Marina stopped in front of a ship that appeared to be a far newer and faster model of merchant vessel than the others that were presently docked in the harbor. The young woman seemed to be gathering her courage and she looked anxiously looked at the man and the boy who had accompanied her to this place. "Will you come still farther with me, Señor?" she asked, her fear plain. "I know I have no reason to hope for you to help me, but I shall be most grateful if you do."

Feeling secure now that the Pearl was so close and there was no sign of Spanish soldiers, Barbossa replied, "We'll follow yeh, Señorita."

The girl nodded and gave them a nervous smile. Then she walked toward the gangplank of the ship, her escorts following closely behind her. Barbossa watched the ship and its crew carefully, looking for signs as to what business the ship was in and why Marina was involved with it. As they stepped onto the deck they were met by a stiff looking crewman who appraised the girl and the two pirates with a disdainful eye.

"I am here to see Señor Warick," Marina said, managing to look confident and sound authoritative.

Barbossa was impressed by the way she held herself together in spite of her fear. But he was also taken aback by her continuing use of English. Who was it she was meeting with?

"Watch for stormy seas, Ramírez," the old pirate said to his young companion. The boy nodded and hung back near the rail of the ship, keeping watch.

The crewman led them to the forward cabin and knocked on the door. They were shown into a sumptuously appointed room filled with charts of the sea on the table and the scent of spices in the air. These clues along with the emblem on the wall told Barbossa with whom Marina was dealing with, and he began to understand her desperation.

Warick was a nondescript little man with a round face who was neither young nor old, but whose eyes were mean and filled with amusement as he looked at the woman who stood before him. "Señorita Marina, this is an unexpected pleasure," he said trying to sound respectful. "I was expecting your father."

"He is very ill, Señor Warick, and so I came in his stead."

"Yes, that is tragic although too much drink sometimes has that effect," their host replied scornfully. Marina flushed. "But I will gladly deal with you, my dear." He moved closer to her, but had to look up to meet her eyes. "Simple stated your father owes the company a great deal of money for the spices and tea he purchased from us, and I am here to collect."

The old pirate looked at the young woman with new eyes. It was highly illegal for merchants under the jurisdiction of the Spanish crown to do business with any non-Spanish traders.

"Please Señor Warick," Marina pleaded, "this year has been very bad for the business of my father. Two of our ships were taken by pirates." Barbossa wondered idly if the Sovereign had anything to do with the girl's trouble, but couldn't say for certain. One Spanish ship was just like another. "And two others have not returned to port yet. If you will only wait another month until the end of the sailing season, I am sure they will arrive and my father will be able to pay his debt to the East India Company."

Warick looked bored and irritated. "And what would become of the company if we gave indefinite extensions on payment to all of our business partners? Really, Señorita, you are leaving me with no choice. Your father's relationship with us will have to be revealed to the Spanish authorities."

Now Marina looked desperate. "No por favor, no Señor Warick!! My father will be imprisoned and my family will lose everything! Our good name will be reviled and…"

"That is not our problem, Señorita," the East India representative responded indifferently. "To be perfectly frank, your family will serve as a valuable warning and incentive to others. A warning to those who do not pay their debts, and an incentive for those who wish to achieve the wealth that your family has enjoyed until recent misfortunes."

"Please, please, I have money for you if you will only wait a little longer," Marina cried pulling a bag from her dress that clinked with the sound of coins.

Barbossa and Warick both looked at the bag with interest, and it did indeed prove to be filled with gold when the company man opened it. As he poured the bag into his hand, Warick looked Marina up and down with desire, commenting, "I do hope you did not sell something irretrievable."

At this point, Barbossa decided to step in. After all, he rarely had the opportunity to play the protective gentleman. In addition, he liked the East India Company as well as any pirate and welcomed the chance to intimidate one of their representatives. "That be enough of that, Mister Warick," he said striding forward to tower over the East India agent. "Miss Marina has made a fair offer and I suggest yeh take it. For while it is certain that yeh could destroy her reputation, yeh also be illegally in this port, within call of the Spanish Royal Navy."

Warick looked livid. "You dare to dictate to me, you filthy cur! I will have you…"

The pirate drew his sword with amazing swiftness, and both Warick and Marina stepped back in horror at the gesture. "Yeh'll be having nothing tonight, but what Miss Marina has offered. Yeh can either agree to this accord or I'll have no choice but to be killin' yeh at this moment."

The other man stared at him with a look of fear. Finally he acquiesced. "Very well. I will take your payment, Señorita, as a sign of good faith, but the Company will not wait for long. You had better pray that your ships arrive before two weeks have passed or I promise you that your family will be ruined."

----------------------------

Barbossa was glad to be quit of the East India ship, and walking in the direction of the Black Pearl. He was mildly surprised to find that Marina continued to walk with him and Ramírez. She remained quiet until they were out of earshot of the ship, then turned to look at the pirate with gratitude.

"I cannot thank you enough for accompanying me, Señor. I came only with the thought of gaining more time for my father. I could see no other way of gaining what I sought," the young woman said with a hint of admiration in her voice.

"Yeh should only hold to one idea while it be favorable," the pirate told her. "When it is no longer to yer advantage, then yeh must find a way of turning the tide."

She appeared to be mulling over his words. "But is that not dishonest? Surely it is better to keep your word…"

Barbossa laughed harshly. "Do yeh think that the Company or any of their ilk care for honesty? Yeh should always bargain in such a way that it will come out in yer favor in the end, even if yeh have to change the rules to do it. Besides," he glanced at Marina, "yeh were willing to offer a bribe to Warick. Most don't consider that to be honest."

"True," the Mexican lady said with a strange smile, "but fortunately for me and my family, your mind was working ahead of mine."

"And yeh best be turning yer mind to the future as well," he advised her. "Yeh canna hope that yer father's ships will arrive in time, if they reach port at all. I suggest yeh use this postponement to find another solution to yer problem."

Marina looked introspective. "There is a way, but I am afraid to take it."

"Then yeh must decide which be more distasteful to 'e."

"Sí," the woman said with a deep sigh. "You speak the truth, Señor…" She stopped abruptly. "I had not thought of this before, but I do not even know the name of my champion and teacher."

"Barbossssa!"

The pirate turned abruptly at the sound of his name. Among the many crates, boxes, and paraphernalia on the docks there was an ancient man seated on a bale of cotton with a basket at his feet. Barbossa carefully walked toward the old man and demanded, "How do 'e know who I am?"

The old beggar's eyes met the pirate's and then drifted away, colorless and blind with age. He continued to make strange noises, low and indistinct, which Barbossa couldn't understand. Not sure what was going on, he looked into the basket at the ancient's feet and saw in the moonlight more than a dozen delicious looking red and yellow apples.

With a smirk, the pirate reached down into the basket to take a piece of the fruit. An earsplitting shriek and a sharp set of teeth forced him to snap his hand back. A small monkey with dark fur had dropped from out of nowhere to stand over the basket as if guarding it.

"Vile creature!" Barbossa exclaimed with a snarl.

"He protects the old beggar, I think," Marina said with another smile. Then she turned to look at the man behind the monkey. A strange look of concentration crossed her face and she whispered, "He speaks the language of the ancient people."

"What is he saying?" Barbossa asked with renewed interest. "How does he know my name?"

The woman continued to focus on the old man, squinting her eyes in concentration. "What he says does not make any sense. He speaks of a great chest and bones of gold." She listened for another moment then went on, "He warns you not to continue on your path or you will be cursed by the ancient gods, doomed to death…" Marina glanced at him with confusion, "and life."

Barbossa had had enough of that talk. Now he was angry and more than a bit rattled by how the old man seemed to know who he was. He was seriously considering running the crazy fool threw when the sound of a shout brought him up short.

"Oye! Parate!!" (3)

Barbossa turned to see two Spanish navy officers running towards him. He cursed his delays and the lovely lady who had been the cause of them as he turned to face this new threat. Although he felt sure that he could take care of these nuisances, it was also sure to attract more trouble. And sure enough, behind him he heard a gasp from Ramírez and the sound of more feet pounding the pavement. A glance over his shoulder revealed two burly men also hurrying towards the scene.

Perhaps playing innocent would help in this situation. With determined calm he took his hand away from his sword and faced the Spaniards with feigned surprise.

"Good evening, good sirs," Barbossa said with perfect civility. He could not see the faces of the officers that faced him, but he could feel them scrutinizing the situation.

"¿Qué haces aquí? ¿No tienes otras cosas que hacer?" (4)

Barbossa didn't understand a word, but he gave his most sincere smile and looked around for help. To his amazement the beggar and the monkey had disappeared, but the two other men had closed with them and were now talking very quickly to Marina. By the sound of her calming tone, she not only knew them, but was explaining the situation to them. With that done, she turned to the navy men.

"Gracias por el ayuda, pero aquí no hace falta. Este hombre me ha atendido, y os ruego que no le hagáis daño." (5)

One of the soldiers looked at her and Barbossa in what appeared to be amazement, but he responded politely, "Como quieras, Señorita." (6)

With that, Marina turned to face the old pirate. "Señor, I cannot hope to repay you for the kindness that you have done me this night, but I pray that in the future I can help you as you have me." With that she gave her hand to Barbossa, who took it though he was still wary about the whole situation. He did not kiss her hand as Jack had, but held it a moment admiring the smooth warmth before letting it drop.

"Don't be afraid of changing the rules, Miss Marina," he said with true sincerity. "Good night to 'e."

He watched a moment as she nodded gratefully and turned away, but quickly moved toward the _Pearl_ himself. He didn't want to be alone with the soldiers after she was gone. But he hissed softly in annoyance as the men followed him.

Just as he was about to turn and cut one of them down, he heard a sardonic whisper. "Barbossa, what have you been up to?!"

Barbossa let out a curse, and turned to stare into the impish face of Jack Sparrow, dressed from head to foot as a Royal Spanish marine. "Cap'n," the older man exclaimed with sincerity, "Yeh don't want to know!"

"I disagree mostly heartily with that statement, but will overlook it for now," he said with exaggerated nonchalance. Jack's face changed to reflect a darker excitement, however, as he looked Barbossa in the eye and said, "Let's go take what we can."

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_Author's Notes_

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and will remember that I welcome comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism. My grateful thanks to R for his help these translations, especially when I get myself in over my head and beyond my Spanish abilites.

1) ¡Es nuestro, anciago! ¡¡Déjanos pasar!! – He is ours! Get out of our way!

2) Señor, ayudame por favor. – Sir, please help me.

3) Oye! Parate!! – Listen! Stop!!

4) ¿Qué haces aquí? ¿No tienes otras cosas que hacer? – What are you doing here? You have no business here.

5) Gracias por el ayuda, pero aquí no hace falta. Este hombre me ha atendido, y os ruego que no le hagáis daño. – Thank you for the help, but there is nothing wrong here. This man has assisted me, and I ask you to do no harm to him.

6) Como quieras, Señorita. – As you wish, Miss.

In way of explanation for the long delay in writing, quite frankly I was stuck. This story was originally written to fit into the canon of CotBP. DMC messed me up a bit, although in listening to the writers' commentaries I was correct about my initial assumptions. But I loved the characters that DMC introduced, including Tia Dalma, Davy Jones, Beckett and the Company, that I was reluctant to adjust my ideas until I knew how the story was going to end. Add to that the delight that was having Barbossa back, which allowed me to be able to study his character even more, kept me from working on this story for a while.

I was ready to start writing again in the Fall, but between being a first year teacher, losing my writing journals, and just starting a new phase in my life, it took me until now to really get back into it. It also helped that my other major fandom, the obscure Mysterious Cities of Gold, is enjoying a revival, which prompted me to do some more writing for that genre and gave me the bug again. So if you enjoy Guidelines, give a nod to Ancient Legacy because I wouldn't be doing this except for it. That and my awesome reviewers! I really appreciate the feedback that I have received and would love to get more. Keep giving me a guilt trip if I don't keep updating!! I need it!!!


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